


Perfect Displays

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fireworks, Fluff, Fourth of July, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 03:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11394492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: “I’d rather talk about you. Talk to you.” He squeezed his fingers. “Watch the fireworks with you,” he continued brightly.More laughter. “Oh God, you’ve been excited about this for weeks.”





	Perfect Displays

He was yawning. 

Alex turned his head, trying to look at John without raising his head from his chest. “You’re tired.” It was an accusation.

“No.”

He did raise his head now. “You’re overworking yourself.”

John looked up at him, gentle and amused and with tired eyes. “You’re one to talk.”

“I’m not talking about myself, though.”

“For once?”

Rolling of eyes, and Alex flopped down on his back on the blanket. “Just for now,” he said, going with the mild tease, and pulled at John’s sleeve. “You might never get the chance to hear me  _ not _ talk about myself again. Such a rare occurrence.” 

John laughed. Some of the fatigue seemed to wear off when they were speaking. If they were quiet, John seemed liable to doze off. Alex understood the feeling, but there was just too much  _ excitement _ –

“I like to hear you talk about yourself,” John said, clapping his hand on Alex’s. “It’s fine.”

“I’d rather talk about you. Talk to you.” He squeezed his fingers. “Watch the fireworks with you,” he continued brightly.

More laughter. “Oh God, you’ve been excited about this for weeks.” He stretched, shuffling over to press against Alex. “I couldn’t fall asleep if I tried.”

“You probably could.” He wiggled his arm around John’s shoulders to pull him closer, and subtly checked the time on his phone behind his back. “We could have stayed in, if you wanted.”

It was  _ only _ the Fourth of July. It only happened once a year and all that, but if John had wanted to stay in… there was probably some kind of view from the dorms… maybe.

“Nah. How could I? It’s the Fourth of July. Fireworks.” John turned his face into Alex’s chest. “We only get this kind of display once a year. This is good,” he added, and snuggled a little closer, “until they start, though.”

“Yeah–” There was a  _ boom! _ and Alex nearly jolted right up from the blanket in time to see the red and orange sparkles fade off into the night sky.

“Ow!”

“Oh, sorry!” Alex smoothed his hand along John’s hair. “Surprised me, they’re early, I just looked at the–” Another firework; it served to shut him up to watch the gold streak across the sky and explode into colors.

“You didn’t have to dislodge me,” John muttered, but settled back against Alex’s shoulder. “Your enthusiasm is charming, but dangerous sometimes.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry– Oh! John, look!”

“Ohh, green.”

“Your favorite color.”

“Yours, too.”

“I know.” Alex laughed. “We both have good taste.”

“There’s purple. That’s pretty.”

“And red!”

“I like the ones that kind of have that fizzling noise. You know?”

“Yeah.” The pass of his hand over John’s shoulder applied pressure, just briefly. His weight against him made the July heat even more unbearable, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. “I still like the loud ones. Louder the better.”

“How is that not surprising?” His foot prodded at Alex’s shin.

Alex shoved his foot back. “I mean, if I had to go out with a bang and a blaze of colors, I wouldn’t complain.”

“Stay in the present, Alex.”

“Wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.”

John hummed, smoothing his hand against Alex’s chest. “You’re so romantic.”

“I know.”

Another  _ boom! _ , louder, more pronounced, the kind you felt pounding in your chest; it startled John, who flinched further into him and then chuckled. Probably self-deprecatingly. Alex renewed the pass of his hand against John’s skin. “I’m fine,” John said. “Just startled me.”

Letting his attention fade from the fireworks, Alex pressed a kiss to the top of John’s head. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll protect you.”

John’s head fell back a few inches on his shoulder. “Mm, my hero.”

“You know it.”

“A smiley face!” John exclaimed. “That was a smiley face, right?”

“Yeah.” Alex tilted his head. John’s hair tickled his neck. “But it was upside down. Go home, smiley face! You’re drunk!”

John burst out laughing at that and Alex was helpless to giggles, too.

“Keep your voice down,” John reprimanded between gasps.

“Why? There’s no one out here to hear us.”

“Still!”

Alex grinned and took a deep breath. He was nothing if he wasn’t contradictory to what he was told to do. “I love John Laurens! And fireworks!”

“Alex! My ear! That’s my ear!”

A proper kick to the shin, a protest, mild tickling and more laughter. A rapid succession of fireworks in the sky. Both of them  _ ooh _ ing in equal, simultaneous delight.

Maybe they were just fireworks. But he liked them. He had liked them before coming to college and he had continued to like them when other people his age thought them juvenile, but he didn’t care. He liked fireworks… and it also had something to do with the company, too. Of course present company made them ten times better.

He turned his face into John’s and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “You wanna make out after this?”

“You said you wanted to see the fireworks!”

“That’s why I said  _ after _ ,” Alex said brightly.

John’s laughter was almost better than the colors in the sky. His joy ceased to make anything exist. Yeah, present company made it ten times better. 

… They’d definitely make out after this.

**Author's Note:**

> meanwhile Burr is back at the dorms secretly watching fireworks from the window and being like _¬.¬ somewhere someone is being obnoxious_


End file.
